5th International Conference on Philosophy of Mind: Natural and Artificial Intelligence (5ICPH)

[Call for Abstracts]

5th International Conference on Philosophy of Mind: Natural and Artificial Intelligence (5ICPH)

Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

15-21 May 2025 (15-16 May, Online | 19-21 May, in-person)

About: The 5th International Conference on Philosophy of Mind aims to bring together a diverse group of researchers, academics, and students interested in fundamental questions of Philosophy of Mind, broadly conceived. The sub-topic of this edition is related to natural and artificial intelligence. Building on the success of previous editions, the goal is to reunite more than one hundred researchers and participants from academic institutions, civil society, and industry at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. The main focus will be to foster the development and exchange of knowledge exploring the intersections between human and artificial intelligence, examining their limits, challenges, and possibilities through the lens of philosophy of mind and cognitive sciences. The event will follow a hybrid format, with online sessions on May 15 and 16 (2025) and in-person meetings on May 19, 20, and 21 (2025), at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto.

PHILOSOPHY OF MIND AWARD 2025 (in-person talks only): The best-submitted abstract will receive the opportunity to deliver a special Award Talk similar to a keynote talk (note: the selected author will have the fee waived).

The final deadline to submit proposals in different research topics is March 15, 2025.

KEYNOTES SPEAKERS:

·         Michael Spezio is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Scripps College in Claremont, CA (USA) and holds a Visiting Scientist appointment at the University Medical Center (UKE) in Hamburg, Germany.

·         Anna Strasser is an Associate Researcher of the Cognition, Values, Behaviour (CVBE) research group at LMU-Munich and founder the DenkWerkstatt Berlin.

·         Gabriel Mograbi is an Associate Professor at the Graduate Program in Philosophy and at the Department of Philosophy - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

·         Sara Lumbreras is Professor at the ICAI School of Engineering of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Madrid) and deputy director of Research Results at the Technological Research Institute.

·         Sofia Miguens is Full Professor at the Department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (FLUP) and the Head of the Mind, Language and Action Group at the same institution.

Topics might include (but are not limited to):

1. Consciousness and Subjectivity

a.       Theories of consciousness: higher-order, global workspace, and predictive processing

b.      The hard problem of consciousness and its possible solutions

c.       The relationship between self-awareness and phenomenal experience

2. Perception and Cognition

a.       The role of perception in shaping reality and cognition

b.      Predictive coding and Bayesian models of perception

c.       4E Cognition and its impact on perception theories

3. Mental Representation and Intentionality

a.       Theories of mental representation: internalism vs. externalism

b.      Computational models of thought and mental content

c.       Intentionality in artificial and biological minds

4. Free Will and Moral Responsibility

a.       Neuroscientific challenges to free will and their philosophical implications

b.      Compatibilist and libertarian accounts of agency

c.       The role of emotions and reasoning in decision-making

5. The Self and Personal Identity

a.       Theories of selfhood: narrative, minimal, and extended self

b.      Memory and identity: psychological continuity vs. bodily continuity

c.       AI, mind-uploading, and posthumanist perspectives on identity

6. The Interplay Between Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind

a.       Reductionism vs. non-reductive approaches to the mind-body problem

b.      The epistemic role of first-person methodologies in cognitive science

c.       Neurophenomenology and the integration of subjective and objective data

7. The Ethics of Cognitive Science and Neurotechnology

a.       Ethical implications of cognitive enhancement and brain-computer interfaces

b.      Neuroprivacy, cognitive liberty, and mind-reading technologies

c.       The philosophical consequences of neuroimaging in law and policy

8. The Philosophy of Altered States of Consciousness

a.       Can psychedelic experiences provide insights into consciousness?

b.      The role of Meditation in exploring subjectivity

c.       What can we learn from Livid Dreams and Out-of-the-Body experiences?

9. Emotion, Reason, and the Mind

a.       Theories of emotions

b.      Theories of affect and their impact on cognition

c.       Emotion, empathy, and moral cognition

10. The Extended and Embedded Mind

a.       Theories of the extended mind: where does the mind stop?

b.      The role of culture, language, and technology in cognition

c.       Cognitive artifacts and their implications for intelligence

11. Mental Disorders and the Philosophy of Psychiatry

a.       The nature of mental illness: natural kinds vs. social constructs

b.      The philosophy of psychiatric diagnosis and classification

c.       The relationship between mental health and personal identity

12. Evolutionary Approaches to Mind and Cognition

a.       Evolutionary psychology and its philosophical challenges

b.      Theories of modularity and cognitive architecture

c.       The evolution of language and its impact on thought

13. Rethinking Attention

a.       What is attention? Should it be redefined or reframed?

b.      Limits of reductionism and intellectualist models

c.       Organism-environment interactions and evolutionary perspectives

Special Track: Artificial Intelligence and the Philosophy of Mind

This track explores the philosophical implications of AI, cognitive models, and the nature of artificial cognition. Topics may include:

a.       Can AI be conscious? Theories of artificial consciousness

b.      Computational models of thought and mental representation

c.       AI and intentionality: can machines have beliefs and desires?

d.      The problem of explainability in AI

e.       LLMs, ChatGPT, DeepSeek: philosophical approaches

FEES

·         Early Stage (until 1 April 2025)

·         Professionals (posdoc, professor, tenure-track): € 130,00

·         Students: (Master, PhD): € 90,00

·         Later Stage (1April – 30 April 2025)

·         Professionals (posdoc, professor, tenure-track): € 200,00

·         Students: (Master, PhD): € 150,00

Languages of the colloquium: English and Portuguese.

SUBMISSIONS:

·         IMPORTANT: you should clearly state if you are submitting for the online segment (OS) (15-16 May) or the in-person segment (PS) (19-21 May). If online, you need to provide a preferred day (15 or 16 May) and time schedule (Morning: 9h30-12h30; Afternoon: 14h00 – 18h) considering the Lisbon Time Zone.

·         In-person submissions have a higher chance of being accepted (more slots available) and are automatically registered for the Philosophy of Mind Award 2025.

·         Proposals should include two files: (in word. format: pdf. formats will not be accepted):

(1) a cover page with identification, clear academic affiliation (if several, choose the main), and title;

(2) an anonymized title and abstract (maximum 250 words, up to 10 references)

(3) sent to [email protected]

·         Paper duration: 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation + 10 minutes for discussion);

·         Notification Info: in order to facilitate the request for funding of the accepted talks so speakers can prepare their travel in advance, notification of acceptance or rejection will be given in a 7-10 days period (review) after the submission;

·         Publications: Some of the papers presented at the conference are expected to be published in several projects (edited volume, special issue, etc.; the publication process will be independent and optional; more details after the conference);

·         Any doubts or concerns can be addressed to: [email protected]

Venue:  Faculty of Humanities of the University of Porto (Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto) | Address: Via Panorâmica, s/n: 4150-564, Porto, Portugal.

Organization: Mind, Language and Action Group | Institute of Philosophy | University of Porto

Organizing Committee

Steven S. Gouveia (Chair)

Maria Luiza llenaco

Rafael Antunes Padilha

Jaroslav Malík

Inês Silva

Support:

CEEC Project by FCT 2022.02527.CEECIND

TL Modern & Contemporary Philosophy

RG Mind, Language and Action Group (MLAG)

Instituto de Filosofia da Universidade do Porto – UIDB/00502/2020

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)